Past Futures, Current Dreams
by Lightningfall
Summary: Twenty-year-old Audure Fenne is delighted when she joins the Legion. Unfortunately, Fate has other plans in store for her. When an old enemy comes back to haunt her, will she be able to face her deepest fears and stand up for her friends? TV Series, not following cannon but using cannon characters. Language, innuendos, and crude humor.


Chapter One

"Next!" The voice of Superman rang out. Yes, it was that time again, the time when he and a few other select Legionnaires gathered to evaluate the wanna-be members of the Legion itself. He, Brainiac 5, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, and Timber Wolf all gave a sigh of relief as they saw this was the last audition. As they sat slightly attentive, the door opened and a young-looking female entered. Brainiac recognized her immediately and leaned to Superman.

"Her species is most renowned. I'd watch her powers closely if I were you." The android stated matter-of-factly. The girl, a Hekkeroid, stepped to the middle of the marked audition area. She was slightly tan, with a dragonish snout and metallic blue humanoid eyes. She had a tail covered in fine, short, light tan fur that ended in a copper puff. In place of human ears, she had a pair of large copper-colored cat-like ears that extended about three inches above her head. Her hair was brown and long, parted to the side so it covered one of her eyes. She smiled slightly, accentuating the fang-like structures that were a part of her upper lip, although they were hard, like bone.

"What is your name?" asked Timber Wolf in a bored tone. The Hekkeroid flipped her hair behind the shoulder of her gray long-sleeved top and looked at him.

"My name is Audure Fenne." She stated in a lyrical voice as cool as her face. Brainiac frowned.

"And what is your superpower?" He queried. At that question, Audure chuckled softly.

"I can see the future, control people's minds for short periods of time, and I am a highly trained and, if I may, skilled master assassin." She said. Lightning Lad narrowed his eyes and sat straight, paying attention for once.

"To prove my value on your team, may I request a volunteer or partner to spar with?" She queried in a singsong tone. Timber Wolf stood and nodded once to Superman, who gestured to the floor below. The wolfish man leaped off the platform and landed on all fours, facing Audure. She nodded to him and they took up opposite positions.

"You have three minutes to prove your worth of consideration. Your time starts now." Superman said with a small yawn.

The two adversaries circled each other, both wearing slightly weary expressions. Audure suddenly sprang forward, feinting towards Timber Wolf's right shoulder but twisting to knock his legs from under him. The Legionnaire evaded the move easily and Audure landed on her back, sliding towards him. She suddenly slammed her tail to the ground, giving her a boost to leap up and dodge her opponent's fist. She bent her legs, and with another mighty hit of her tail, she launched over him, grazing his hair with the tip of her tail. She flipped midair and spun to face his back, landing the first hit with a tail-slap to his shoulders. He stumbled forward slightly and spun, a snarl etched on his face. At least a year had passed since he was struck first.

Audure landed with a rolling summersault and her eyes glowed an ice blue color as she stared directly at him and mouthed unintelligibly. He stopped suddenly and turned, dipping his head towards the Legionnaires and leaping back up to his seat. Audure's eyes stopped glowing and returned to their metallic color as she stood in the center of the room once more. She looked nervous, she had kept the sparring very, very short on purpose and used her mind control to further that, but she refused to see the future for this particular event. Although it was very useful, the future could change and she didn't want to work herself up over nothing. She knew that the Legion only accepted the finest beings, of which she wasn't sure she was counted in.

The five Legionnaires whispered amongst themselves, Timber Wolf being the most adamant. Upon Audure's release of his mind, he had appeared dazed at first; then a look of subtle horror overcame his face as he realized that the girl had controlled him. Brainiac's expression remained calm, cool, and collected as usual, Phantom Girl had a look of dislike, Lightning Lad frowned, and Superman looked interested. For once, they had had a true audition. The fact was surprising; more often than not the auditions being people with rather useless powers.

Superman stood at last, after about five minutes of quiet debate, Audure's head hung slightly and her shoulders drooped. She was losing hope, whatever hope had lay hidden behind her self-confident mask. Superman cleared his throat and the five stood together.

"Audure Fenne, Hekkeroid, age twenty, welcome to the Legion." The Legionnaires stated together. Audure blinked rapidly at their statement, looking amazed, before her face cleared and she nodded her thanks, unable to speak. The members of the well-known team all flew down to the platform and Superman stepped forward. He looked at the ring in his palm and chuckled.

"Almost didn't bring this today; aren't you glad I did?" The young man said humorously. He held out his other hand and gestured for her to give him her right hand. She wordlessly held it out; Superman slid the golden ring stamped with the Legion's symbol and stepped back. The older Legionnaires raised their chins and spoke together with the words that all the auditions wanted to hear but only a select few were granted.

"You have proven yourself worthy of our title. Welcome, newest Legionnaire, and we wish you good luck."

~~0~~

_She stood immobile in her father's iron will. A deep, growling voice overtook her own thoughts and she would have cringed away if it were possible. Her father snarled in her mind as he slapped her with all his force, nearly breaking her jaw._

"_You will never become one of those vermin! I forbid it! You will have nothing to do with the Legion, you will stay here and learn our trade in life and death, and you will never, _never_ have any thoughts of them again. If I catch you trying anything, I'll have you sent to the Head of this city and he will inflict much worse than I ever have. Do you understand?!" The large brown Hekkeroid snarled, holding his daughter's eyes with his own. She tried to nod, but couldn't, still held in place by his cold mind-controlling ways. He made a sound akin to a roar and reared back, slamming a fist into her cheek, knocking her unconscious. As she blacked out, he let her fall to the ground and lay there. In the process, she hit her head on the corner of the kitchen table and further injured herself. She vaguely heard her father swearing angrily and walking away; then she lost all feeling…_

Audure bolted awake with a cry, hyperventilating frantically. Her scream pierced the silence and she let her tears fall, for that one instance with her father, brought up when she was fifteen, had crushed her soul. It was not the first time he had ever hit her, nor the first time he had left scars on her psyche. Though she had been accepted to the Legion, it had done nothing to calm her raging nightmares and heal the scars left on her mind and body by her greatest enemy. As she had spent all the day before moving her few belongings to the room assigned to her, she had slept well, until the nightmare woke her. She reached up with shaky hands to touch the side of her face, the side covered by her hair, and she traced the teardrop shape of her scar, the one that she had hidden, buried in her mind and under a curtain of thick hair, but that forever drove her to achieve her dreams.

A knock sounded, resonating through the door and reaching her ears. Through the water seeping out of her eyes and the tightness of her throat, she looked up and called out softly.

"May I ask; who is it?" Her voice sounded muddled to her ears, broken and tired.

"It is Brainiac. I was on watch, heard your cry, and came to see if you are alright. May I enter?" The voice sounded distorted through the door. She wiped her face and swallowed a few times, clearing her thoughts and struggling to breathe regularly.

"You may." She said evenly. Internally, she marveled at the smoothness of her voice. The door slid open and the android entered, hands clasped behind his back. He wore around him an air of superiority but willingness to help those in need. He had a twelfth level intelligence, yes, but he wasn't as uppity as he used to be.

The green and purple android looked upon Audure, who sat upright in her bed, wearing a loose blue shirt with the words 'Beware: NOT a morning person' printed in gray across the chest. She nodded to him as he gave her the once-over, noting that her skin looked clammy and she had tear-tracks on her face. He frowned and sat in a desk chair, raising an eyebrow.

"I observe something is wrong. That coupled with the fact that you cried out at three in the morning, with seemingly no reason, confirms the fact. I am compelled to ask what the problem is. Therefore, I query; are you alright, Audure?" He reasoned as he spoke. Audure blinked with an expression that his reasoning was lost on her, but she replied in a mutter.

"Define 'alright', Brainiac." Her face changed to an expression of great pain that was hidden behind a mask of dangerousness and a composed demeanor. Brainiac smiled without humor, twisting his lips to an upward curve. _I believe I may start to like her,_ he thought to himself before giving his definition.

"Alright: definition as okay, fine, not hurt in any way or hurt mildly in a way that is easily healed." He listed. She chuckled, the mirth usually present in such a sound missing.

"By that definition, no, I am not 'alright', as you say." Audure sighed and shook her head. Brainiac nearly got up and left at that moment, but his honor kept him there to hear what he was sure to be a so-called heart-breaking story.

"But why the hell am I complaining to you? I'm honored to be a part of this team, but I have not even spent a full day here and I'm already burdening you with this thrice-blasted nightmare of mine. I'll be fine, Brainiac, you should probably go back to your post." The Hekkeroid sighed to herself and tried to wave him off. Once more, the android nearly left, but he refused the thought and reasoning.

"If you say you will, then I will accept that answer, but given your words, forgive me if I don't quite believe you. I won't have a new recruit, and a rather promising one at that, be immobilized not even a day into her membership." He said in a reprimanding tone. Audure nearly cursed again but decided it would be unbecoming, and instead shook her head in mild irritation.

"May I speak freely?" She inquired. Brainiac snorted, amused. He nearly asked if she wasn't speaking freely before but suppressed the notion.

"This is not the military, Audure. Speak as you will, whether you offend me or not does not matter. Like I stated, I won't have a new recruit going insane on my watch." Audure nearly told him about her dream, but at the last minute reigned in the emotion controlled side of herself. She instead allowed the corners of her mouth to twitch up in a smile that was more of a grimace than anything else.

"I am not alright, no, but I still have full control of myself, do I not? There is no need to be bothered, to use a loose term. I will neither go insane or become immobilized. Neither am I immune to the things that plague all beings, such as recurring fears, emotion, and pain. Like I said before, Brainiac, you should most likely get back to your post." The girl stated. Brainiac nodded once, and, accepting that this was not immediately important, got up to leave. He paused at the doorway and glanced back over his shoulder.

"Call me Brainy. My full name makes me uncomfortable." He said before disappearing through the entryway and back to his post. Audure blinked a few times before rolling her eyes slightly and collapsing back down to her bed, pulling up the blankets, and desperately wishing that she would actually rest easily for the remainder of the night, or, as it were, morning.

~~0~~

_EEP! EEP! EEP! EEP! EEP! EEP! _A slam sounded, and the alarm clock that displayed the time as six in the morning quit it's racketing. Audure grumbled as she got up and saw an outfit laid out for her. It consisted of copper-colored leggings and a long-sleeved copper shirt, accented with touches of metallic blue, both muted colors. She shook her head slowly as she laid eyes upon it and she marveled at the speed and unexpectedness of the gift. As she picked it up, a piece of paper fell out. She dressed, the cool fabric fitting snugly on her, keeping her warm and accentuating her muscled body. She retrieved the folded scrap and opened it. In neat handwriting, was a simple sentence. She read it and smiled. 'Welcome to the Legion, Audure.'

She chuckled and folded the note into a drawer that contained several other small trinkets accumulated over her years exploring. Walking out of her room and down the hallway, she traced the only route she knew; the route to the main sitting room. She looked upon the couches laid out around a table, the counter along the wall that was arranged with a coffee-maker, a mug holder with assorted mugs, a plate of breakfast foods such as bagels, and a toaster. She cocked an eyebrow and smiled, it was quite the layout. She turned to the other side, where, set into the wall, was a fridge, an electric stove, microwave oven, and three shelves with pans. In the counter, there were drawers of utensils.

"You're new here, aren't you?" A voice startled Audure as she was determining whether or not to eat when no one else was there. She spun and was locked into a combat stance out of habit before realizing it was only Superman X, or Kell-El as everyone seemed to call him. She drew back and stood tall, or as tall as five-foot-eight could be. Kell-El, who was easily six feet tall, looked down at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You're the new recruit, aren't you?" He asked coolly. Audure nodded confirmation.

"Yes, I am. You are Kell-El, I presume?" She asked in the same tone. He confirmed it with a tilt of his head before walking to the counter and making a bagel. Audure nearly started laughing as she was struck with the oddity of the situation. Kell-El, Superman X, of all people, eating a bagel. The thought struck her as one of the strangest things she had seen and she fought back laughter again. As it was, she managed to release a small whine of merriment before subduing the feeling completely and walking over to the counter. Kell-Ell threw her a glance as he finished his breakfast and sat, nibbling the warm bread.

Audure looked up from making her own bagel as Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, and Timber Wolf walked in. Timber Wolf looked slightly surprised to see her there, and regarded her with a slight air of weariness. Lightning Lad shook his head at his wolfish companion and walked over to Audure.

"Surprising to see you up so early. Usually Kelly over there is the early bird of us all." He spoke with his aura of arrogance and light-heartedness as he regarded the food with slight disdain.

"Ah, yes. I'd heard that. They say he is more of the rooster than the early bird, though." Audure quipped, chuckling as the toaster dinged in irritation. Lightning Lad grinned and clapped her on the back.

"I like you. You're a funny one, I like you." He chuckled before spinning to greet Superman and Brainiac.

"I like her; she's a funny. Let's keep her." He called across the room, and everyone awake at that point heard him. Audure turned and raised an eyebrow, a half-smile crossing her face. Superman rubbed his eye and shook his head as he made his way to the refrigerator and picked out eggs. Brainiac bypassed the food entirely and sat down, as Saturn Girl and Bouncing Boy engaged in a conversation. Audure sat next, in a couch that was largely unoccupied. She looked at the others, not sure where she'd fit in. So she watched and observed the others' quirks and personalities. This was her job, anyway, why not put it to use? She ate her bagel in utter silence, her eyes taking in everything. She saw how Lightning Lad drew close to Saturn Girl, and how Kell-El regarded Phantom Girl with an air of superiority. Superman, who had finished his eggs, noticed her nursing her coffee, and sat next to her. She glanced at him, nodded, and returned to scrutinizing Timber Wolf. The leader of the Legion watched her pick his people apart with her eyes and ears, frowning slightly. The skill she possessed was a potentially dangerous one, that of observation. He ended up clearing his throat quietly to get her attention.

"I'm sorry, did you need me?" She asked, ears somehow laid back in slight embarrassment and pricked in interest at the same time. Superman stretched his arms out in from of him.

"Not really, no, but I just wanted to give you a proper welcome, as well as this…" He trailed off as he pulled out a folded sheet of paper.

"What is it?" She asked and took the proffered page.

"A map of the facility. Seeing as you're new and all, I thought I'd give you one." He said.

"Thank you."

"Mhmm. Today is pretty much a free day, to use a loose term. We have no duties unless there's a threat somewhere. We have a pool, training arena, boxing ring, and obviously, a lounge. Feel free to wander, and ask Computo if you get lost." He said and stood, stretching once more before heading off in some unknown direction. Audure finished her coffee and stood as well, cleaning the mug and drying it before returning the cup to it's rack. She scanned the map and was delighted to find a library. She traced the way to it and started off. Little did she know that someone was watching her every move, observing her just as she had observed him. A small, fleeting smile graced his face before vanishing, replaced by his usual expression of indifference.


End file.
